The night after the U.S. military launched missiles into a Syrian air base, protests brewed across the country. From San Francisco to New York, people spoke out against President Donald Trump’s show of power.
The Syrian military said the strike killed at least seven people and wounded nine others, according to The Associated Press. The U.S., at Trump's command, launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield in response to a deadly chemical attack in Idlib on Tuesday.
"I'm vehemently opposed to bombing of Syria," said David Welsh of Berkeley, California. "We need to pull back from the brink. This is a terrible development."
Trump said he ordered the action after seeing proof that Syrian President Bashar Assad was responsible for the chemical attack, which killed more than 80 people.
Protesters said they aren't convinced Assad is responsible.
The president may view the attack as a success if the use of chemical weapons stops. But political experts say with the show of force is risky, with Russia backing Assad.
"This plunges us into an arena that puts us in a position of danger," said Karthika Sasikumar, a political science professor at San Jose State University. "Risking escalation with Russia – we might regret doing this."
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Russia called the bombing a significant blow to U.S.-Russian relations.
“The U.S. needs to come home, take care of business here, and stop interfering in other countries in the world,” Welsh said.
Protesters are urging people to rally together and show the Trump administration that they don't support military involvement in the Middle East.
In Manhattan, New York, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Midtown and Union Square to voice their opposition to the U.S. strikes on Syria on Friday night.
"It's only going to escalate the violence," protester Martin Jennings said. "I'm really concerned about the future of the Syrian people."
Thursday's attack was the first direct American assault on the Syrian government and Trump's most dramatic military order since becoming president just over two months ago. The strikes also risk thrusting the U.S. deeper into an intractable conflict that his predecessor spent years trying to avoid.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
